Power failure triggers smoky fire at plant in Northfield; no injuries

NORTHFIELD — A smoky fire in a wax pit under an oven led to the evacuation of the second shift at the Wyman Gordon plant on Granite Street yesterday afternoon.

One worker who was standing outside said the foundry section lost power while a mold was being submerged into a bath of water and wax.

"When we lost power it only got half way into the bath. And that's not good," he said.

According to John Fitzmartin who was at the site and said he was authorized to speak for Precision Castparts Corp., of which Wyman Gordon is a subsidiary, the important thing is that none of the employees were injured and all were able to safely leave the building.

"We have accounted for everyone," he said noting that the company holds regular safety drills.

The Northfield plant has never been cited for any safety violations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) Website.

The company makes aluminum castings primarily for the aerospace and military industrial industries.

Tilton-Northfield Fire Chief Brad Ober said the first alarm came around 1:30 p.m. because of a fire in a below grade paraffin wax pit that holds about 1,200 gallons.

Maintenance told first responders the wax pit would not be accessible until after power was restored.

Ober said he called for a second alarm at 3:30 p.m. when the equipment was re-powered and the fire began to spread outside of the oven reaching the ceiling and roof vents.

He said the water lines were already in place waiting for the power up and the sprinkler system also activated and helped stop the spread of the flames.

Fitzmartin said the Northfield plant — there is also a plant in Franklin — employs about 130 people and the goal is to get them all back to work as soon as possible.

Firefighters from Franklin, Sanbornton, Belmont, Laconia, Gilford and Concord either responded to the fire or provided station coverage.